Speed Tampering and Defects Rampant Among NSW Car-Carry Heavy Vehicles
An operation conducted by the New South Wales Police and The Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has made some upsetting discoveries.
During a compliance audit held by the 2 agencies, evidence of speed tampering as well as other defects, both minor and major have been discovered.
The early morning operation targeted car-carrying heavy vehicles following a speed audit of car carriers in the state previously.
Operation Blackcat as it has been named, revealed a number of concerns among the car-carrying industry’s heavy vehicles.
In an article on Fullyloaded.com.au the operation was discussed and a previous operation during which new car distributor Minto was targeted by authorities was also mentioned.
On February 13 authorities discovered seven trucks had been tampered with, allowing their speed to exceed the legal 100km/h.
During Operation Blackcat 94 trucks in total were inspected and authorities also identified major and minor defects relating to oil leaks, rust, brakes, lights, windscreen and engine control problems. According to Fullyloaded.com the authorities also stopped trucks on the road, with 6 vehicles being pulled over on the NSW south coast. There were another 2 intercepted in Wagga Wagga and 2 in Victoria according to the post.
Other issues that were addressed by authorities included driving under the influence but found that vehicle compliance issues were the major concern. The article on Fullyloaded.com went on to highlight:
Officers conducted 43 drug and alcohol tests, with one driver testing positive to cannabis and being taken off the road for 24 hours, pending further analysis and prosecution.
NSW Police superintendent Stuart Smith says the compliance operation “has identified some disturbing trends in terms of speed tampering, along with major and minor defects”.
Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au
Mr Stuart went on to explain the importance of operations like this one,
“To see one truck with the roof rusted out, another with the front fender held on by duct tape, and those that have been tampered with to allow speeds above 100km/h highlights the importance of these operations to ensure compliance across this industry sector,” he says.
“This is about ensuring the safety of those that drive and load trucks on a daily basis, and other road users who come into contact with them.”
Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au
The post on Fullyloaded.com also mentioned RMS General Manager of Compliance operations Paul Endycott who explained that speeding would not be tolerated in the trucking industry. He said that operations of this nature were crucial because it demonstrated authorities’ no nonsense approach to speeding in the industry which should serve as a warning to others operating on NSW roads. He explained:
“This is about changing the culture within the industry. The [NSW Police and RMS] joint heavy vehicle taskforce is committed to tackling this problem head on, even if we have to do it one company at a time,” Endycott says.
“We have made it quite clear distribution centres will be a focus of our enforcement operations this year to ensure those trying to gain unfair commercial advantage don’t risk the safety of us all.”
See more at: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au
